Uses a configuration file to define the requested packages and default configuration options. The format of this file is the same as is used for installing a system via kickstart.

Installs, using yum, the requested packages into the installation using the given repositories in the kickstart file

Optionally runs scripts as specified by the live CD configuration file.

Relabels the entire installation root (for SELinux)

Creates a live CD specific initramfs that matches the installed kernel

Unmounts the kernel file systems mounted inside the installation root

Unmounts the installation root

Creates a squashfs file system containing only the default ext3/4 file (compression)

Configures the boot loader

Creates an iso9660 bootable CD/DVD

Live image Configuration Files

The configuration of the live image is defined by a file that uses the same format as installing a system via kickstart. They can include some basic system configuration items, the package manifest and a script to be run at the end of the build process.

For the Fedora project, the two most important live image configurations files are

livecd-fedora-minimal.ks

The base live image system (included in the 'livecd-tools' package)

livecd-fedora-desktop.ks

Complete desktop with applications and input/output support for all supported locales in Fedora (this one is part of the 'spin-kickstarts' package)

kickstart files for other spins (e.g. Fedora Electronics Lab) can be found in /usr/share/spin-kickstarts/ after installing the 'spin-kickstarts' package

Set SELinux to permissive mode

SELinux should be in permissive mode for livecd-creator to work. Run the following as root user first before attempting to create a live cd or dvd.

setenforce 0

Example: Spinning the Fedora Desktop Live CD

Note that because of the way livecd-creator works, it is not possible to choose a different set of packages or a different filesystem during installation. Assuming that you use the livecd-fedora-desktop.ks configuration file, then the following command

Example: A Barebones Live CD

Barebones Live CD does not support login capability. Since no configuration is done, the user will not be able to login to the system as the root password is not set/cleared.

Testing your Live CD using KVM or qemu

As root:
qemu-kvm -m 512 -cdrom filename.iso

If you do not have KVM support, you can use qemu instead

qemu -m 512 --cdrom filename.iso>

Replace filename.iso with the name of your created Live CD image. NOTE: be sure to "yum install kvm qemu" as root for releases before Fedora 11. Fedora 11 has merged kvm and qemu into a single package. Just installing qemu package is enough.

Live image Installs

As of Fedora 7, anaconda has support for doing an installation from a live image. To use this, double click on the Install to Hard Drive item on the desktop or run

/usr/bin/liveinst

if you don't have such an icon.

Live Image Media Verification

The live image can incorporate functionality to verify itself. To do so, you need to have isomd5sum installed both on the system used for creating the image and installed into the image. This is so that the implantisomd5 and checkisomd5 utilities can be used. These utilities take advantage of embedding an md5sum into the application area of the iso9660 image. This then gets verified before mounting the real root filesystem.

Using Live Images from USB Media

USB sticks are becoming increasingly prevalent and are a nice way to use live images. You can take a live CD or DVD iso image and transform it so that it can be used on a USB stick. To do so, use the livecd-iso-to-disk script:

/usr/bin/livecd-iso-to-disk /path/to/live.iso /dev/sdb1

Replace /dev/sdb1 with the (unmounted) partition where you wish to put the live image. This is not a destructive process; any data you currently have on your USB stick will be preserved.